I had read about the wild Spanish mustangs that run free in Northern New Mexico. I knew the general area was north of El Rito, New Mexico. I made it a point to talk to some horse people in the area, so I knew where I might find a wild bunch. They said there were between 20 and 30 horses. A few of the horsemen said they had gotten close to them sometimes.

It had been snowing for a day or so and I decided to try and find those wild horses. I drove to the area early one morning. There was snow on the dirt road I turned on and it was hard to find my way. After about a half an hour of driving on the road which had become a trail, I could see in the distance something running. I thought at first it was a group of cattle. I got my binoculars and I could see they were horses.

I drove further to this open meadow. The horses came toward me. I dont know if they thought I was going to feed them, or they were just very curious, as horses are. I was hoping to get close to them. I walked carefully with my head down, carrying with me my tripod, my camera and a large lense. They let me get within 50 yards of them. They were stamping the ground and circling nervously. I counted them. There were 26 - all colors in the morning snow.

All of a sudden the wind started blowing. I did what I shouldnt have done. I threw up my arms and yelled, Show me your hearts! They took off with such speed and excitement. I watched them go.

My camera was now mounted on the tripod with a $7,000 Nikon lense. To my surprise, they turned and ran directly back towards me. Twenty six horses, 104 legs, and 36,000 pounds coming my way. No more Show me your heart. I waited behind the camera and lense, focusing on the oncoming horses. The ground was shaking, the camera was shaking, I was shaking. This is the one photo I got before I ran.